


Ashes of Night

by Zaikia



Category: Red Dead Redemption
Genre: Age Difference, Emotional/Psychological Abuse, Eventual Romance, Eventual Smut, F/M, Family Drama, Friends to Lovers, Friendship/Love, Modern AU, Older Man/Younger Woman, Past Abuse, Physical Abuse, Protective Arthur Morgan, Strangers to Lovers, but with a twist
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2019-01-22
Updated: 2019-03-11
Packaged: 2019-10-14 09:47:00
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 5
Words: 12,723
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17506280
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Zaikia/pseuds/Zaikia
Summary: A young college student stumbles upon a man from the past, right in her very apartment. The man doesn't know why he's suddenly 119 years in the future, but maybe this is a second chance at a better life.





	1. The Man from the Past

The only thing that Shelby wanted to come home to was her animals, and then settle down and give them all the attention they needed. Her landlord, Mrs. Parish, had greeted her back home with a hug and a container of baked chocolate chip cookies, which she knew were Shelby's favorite. Shelby had been out of town for a couple of days for an interview on her new novelette, and it had been a very good couple of days. 

Mrs. Parish had been more than happy to make sure Shelby's pets were watered and feed. Shelby owned two; a black cat named Kirby, whom she had rescued off a highway in the middle of a storm, and an albino ball python that she affectionately named Ghost, due to his color scheme. He was quite the sweet reptile, and loved people. He had been born in captivity and Shelby absolutely adored snakes, so she adopted one to give him a wonderful home. 

As soon as Shelby walks up to the second floor to get to her apartment, Mrs. Parish greets her with cookies and mentions that she heard a thud from her apartment a couple of hours ago. Shelby deduced that Kirby had more than likely knocked something over, or was running around like a crackhead. 

Boy, she had been clearly wrong. 

As soon as she had stepped into her apartment, she had been aware of the motionless form lying in the middle of her living room. It was a man, and a rather stocky one at that. He was sprawled out on his back, a black hat lying on it's side not to far from him. He appeared to be in his late 30's, with a full head of thick, light brown hair that nearly seemed blond to her. He had facial hair, though not too much and wore a blue plaid shirt with dark brown overalls, with brown cowboy boots and what looked like a bandanna around his neck. There was a worn satchel around his torso, and she was startled to see a silver revolver in a holster on his belt. 

_Where the hell did this guy come from?_

Shelby knelt down, sitting on her knees beside the unconscious man. She scrunched her eyebrows and leaned down a bit, tilting her head so she could see if he was breathing. She waited a few moments and finally heard a soft breath come from the man. So he was alive, and he didn't look injured. Very dirty, but not injured. She sat back up, her eyes trailing down to the revolver at his hip. 

This stranger could be dangerous. _Looked_ dangerous. 

She complemented calling 911, but this guy looked like he came straight from the late 1800's, so the man would probably freak out if he realized he was in a jail cell, with no memory of where he was. Shelby sighed quietly and slowly reached down, curling the fingers of her left hand around the handle of the revolver. She checked to see if the man was awake and when he hadn't even stirred, she carefully pulled the weapon away from the man's hip. She let out a quiet sigh of relief and stood up, glad she had taken her boots off so the thudding of them on the carpet wouldn't wake the man up. She wrapped the gun up in a thick towel, and hid it underneath the couch, for now. She quietly ventured to her bedroom down the hallway, where she grabbed a couple of ties from her closet and went back out to the living room. She used the thick cloth tie his wrists together firmly, but not tightly enough to cause any damage. She took his boots off and cringed at the smell, before tying his ankles together. 

Better safe than sorry. 

Shelby then proceeded to drag the man by his shoulders onto the couch, making sure he was comfortable in his position. She sighed quietly, grabbing the blanket off the back of the couch and draping it over his prone form. 

Kirby meowed softly as she hopped onto the couch, sitting down next to the man. “Think you can keep an eye on him while I feed your brother?” Shelby asked, and got a meow in response. “Thank you, sweetie.” 

She took the next few quiet moments to straighten up a bit, grabbing Ghost's food out of the freezer. She walked over to the reptile tank and cooed as she opened the top. “Hi, baby. I got you some food. Yeah, I know...I missed you guys too.” she smiled, as Ghost slithered up a bit, bumping into her hand. “Here you go, baby.” 

Ghost took the food gladly and she closed the top, letting him eat. 

At this time, she heard a soft groan and glanced over to the john doe. He was stirring, his body moving slightly. She went over to him and stood about five feet away from him, as the man's head snapped up and his eyes opened. 

Shelby was met with a pair of steel blue eyes, which chilled her to her very core. She swallowed thickly, before she spoke. 

“You awake, buddy?” 

The man blinked once, twice, before he glanced around, surprise evident in his eyes. Kirby meowed, her tail moving from side to side and the man looked down at her, before blinking once more. He then finally turned his attention to Shelby. 

“Where am I?” the man asked, his accent deep, thick and rich. It was something Shelby hadn't expected, but she didn't let her guard down. 

“My apartment.” she replied. “In Plymouth, Indiana. It's the summer of 2018, June 4th.” 

“2018....?” the man muttered. 

Shelby waited for a moment, looking around to see if she could show him the date. She remembered she bought a newspaper this morning, so she walked over to where her bag was hanging by the door and grabbed the newspaper out of it. She flipped it to the date and approached the man, showing him the date. 

“Well.....shit.” 

“Why do you say that?” she asked, tossing the newspaper onto the coffee table. “Your attire isn't really suitable for this day and age....late 1800's?” 

“1899, if I remember correctly.” the man spoke, reaching up with his hands, and then just now realizing his hands were bound. “Why am I tied up?” 

“Well, when a man appears from out of nowhere in my apartment and has a weapon on his person, the owner of said apartment is a little cautious.” Shelby replied. “And before you ask, yes, I took your revolver. It's hidden right now.” 

“Are ya going to report me to the authorities?” he asked, steel blue eyes looking up into her own hazel ones. 

“No.” Shelby replied, shaking her head. “You got a name?” 

“Everyone's got a name, kid.” the man scoffed quietly. “My name is Arthur Morgan.” 

_Arthur Morgan? Why does that name sound familiar...?_ Shelby thought, scrunching her eyebrows. She held up a hand and went over to her backpack, rummaging through it and getting out the notebook she was looking for. She rummaged through the used notebook, soon coming upon the little project she had started earlier in the year. “Arthur Morgan.....Morgan....” she muttered to herself, getting out a small pile of newspaper clippings and pictures. She flipped through the pictures until she came upon a drawn picture of a man that fit Arthur Morgan's face. 

Once she deemed the picture the right one, she walked over to the man and placed the picture close to his face. Same face structure.....

And the name at the bottom of the picture was what sold it. 

“You're really Arthur Morgan.....” Shelby said softly. “Same face structure, eye color, hair color, everything...” 

“Well, who else the hell would I be?” he drawled. “What's that in yer hand?”

“A drawn picture you, from the 1890's.” she replied. “Supposedly....you died from tuberculosis in 1899-” 

“I did. I contracted the god awful disease from a diseased farmer and died from it.” the older man replied. “So.....this situation may be...” 

“That you somehow got sent 119 years into the future, and here you are.” Shelby finished, putting the paper back with the others. She took the blanket off of him and grimaced, knowing she was going to need to wash it now. “Mr. Morgan, 2018 is a very different era from where you're from....things are very different now. I suppose, for now, I'll let you stay here until I can figure out what to do.” 

“Yer letting a complete stranger stay in yer home?” Arthur questioned, arching an eyebrow. 

“Where else can you go?” she asked, reaching forward to undo the cloth around his ankles. She undid his wrists next and took a few steps back, just in case he decided to attack or anything. When he didn't, she relaxed a bit. “Mr. Morgan, my name is Shelby Hartford.” 

“Alright, Miss Hartford-” 

“Uh....drop the miss, please. Just call me Shelby.” she said, a bit uncomfortable with the 'miss'. 

“Only if ya call me Arthur.” he said, standing up. 

Damn, he was taller than she thought. Shelby could only assume he was almost a foot taller than her, since she as only five feet, five inches. “Sure. Okay....um....” she paused for a moment, rubbing her hands together. “You need to clean up.....no man is going to be staying filthy in my home. I'm a neat freak.” 

“I can't 'member the last time I took a well-deserved bath.” he mused. 

“Alright, then. We'll get you cleaned up, and then we'll discuss rules for you staying here.” she nodded, motioning for him to follow her. 

Shelby guided Arthur to the guest bathroom, letting him know where things were. She plugged the tub, and started the water, feeling it before setting it to a very warm temperature. She put a bit of bubble bath in it, and turned around, only to quickly cover her eyes when she realized the man was half-naked, and getting ready to take his overalls off. 

“You could've waited until I was out of the room!” she exclaimed, keeping her eyes covered as a blush stained her cheeks. 

“Girly, where I'm from, women don't shy away from a naked man.” Arthur's voice caught her ears. 

“Shut up and just get in the tub.” she grumbled, keeping her eyes covered. 

There was the rustling of clothing, and then the slight breeze as the man walked past her. She heard splashing and after a moment, uncovered her eyes. She refused to look towards the tub, and grabbed a large, fluffy towel from the small cabinet next to the sink. She placed the towel on the rack next to the tub, and spoke, while getting out some body wash and shampoo that her brother had left here. 

“I don't have any clothes for you, so I'll have to wash your clothes until we can go shopping.” she spoke, placing the body wash and shampoo on the edge of the tub. “Which will probably be tomorrow. I'll have to measure your torso, waist and get your shoe size. Also.....no overalls. You can wear them tomorrow, but after that, no more. Overalls aren't really a thing anymore.” 

“Way t' kill my style, kid.” the older man joked. 

Shelby rolled her eyes. “Just call for me when you're done.” 

She left the bathroom, picking up the filthy clothes before Arthur could say another word, closing the door behind her. She sighed quietly, before she made her way to the living room and set the clothes down with the dirty blanket. She walked over to Ghost's tank and lifted the hood, cooing as she reached in to pick up the snake. He immediately bumped into her hand as she lifted him out of the tank, holding him up to her neck. He slithered up to her neck and around her neck, resting his head just on the right side of her neck. She rubbed his head gently, and went back over to the clothes, picking them up. She tossed them into the washer and put some soap inside, then started the washer for a medium load. 

Shelby went into the kitchen, searching for something to eat. It was only 5 PM, so she was hungry. And she was sure Arthur was hungry as well. 

“I wonder if he's ever had spaghetti...” she mused. “What do you think, Ghost?” 

Ghost flicked his tongue out and Shelby nodded. “Spaghetti it is.” 

She grabbed out two jars of Prego sauce and mixed them in a deep pan, putting some spices into the sauce. She mixed it together well, before she allowed it to heat up and cook. She never realized that Arthur had walked out into the living room, with only a towel wrapped around his hips. 

“Hey, kiddo, I was thinkin'.....is that a snake?!” 

Shelby yelped and jumped, quickly turning around and felt heat creep onto her cheeks again. She slapped her hands over her eyes. “I told you to call for me!” 

“Why is there a _snake_ around yer neck?!” 

“He's my baby!” 

“Snakes aren't pets! Are ya goddamn crazy, girl?! Gimme that reptile!” 

That drew the line and Shelby grabbed up her cast iron skillet, holding it threateningly. Arthur stopped a mere ten feet away from her, staring down at the young woman before him. The python around her neck lifted it's head up, flicking it's tongue out. 

“Don't you touch Ghost.” Shelby warned. “In this century, snakes can be have as pets. Especially pythons. Pythons are sweet creatures who done no harm, except crush their prey.” 

“Exactly! And you have it around yer _neck_.” 

“I've had Ghost for two years now. Not once has he ever tried to hurt me.” Shelby said. “I adopted him from a pet store and gave him a better home than they ever would.” 

“Okay....okay, jus'....put the pan down.” Arthur said, holding a hand out in defense. 

Shelby eyed him for a moment, then put her skillet down. She sighed and pinched the bridge of her nose. “Just....gimme a sec. I'll have to give you a blanket for now.” 

After calming down, Shelby grabbed a blanket out from the hallway closet, throwing it onto Arthur. “Cover up with that for now. Your clothes won't be done until later, and I don't have any underwear for you, so tough it out, cowboy.” 

“Kid, I've been toughin' it out for years.” Arthur said back, wrapping the blanket around himself, and sitting on the couch. “What the goddamn hell is that....thing?” he asked, pointing to the television. 

“It's a television.” Shelby replied, walking out of the kitchen and grabbing the remote. She turned the television on, and switched it to the sci-fi channel. “Watch the shitty b-rated movie while I make dinner.” 

“Back in my time, movies were sure as hell not like 'his.” Arthur drawled, scrunching his eyes at the weird screen. 

“Well, you're not in 1899 anymore, Arthur.” she sighed. 

Arthur went quiet afterwards, his attention focused on the screen. He seemed....actually quite interested in it. Something about a winged, red-eyed creature going after some kids. Over the next hour, Shelby would occasionally glance over to the man on her couch, finding this whole situation just a complete weird-ass dream. She had to be dreaming, right? 

Eventually, Kirby stretched out next to Arthur, flopping onto her side. Arthur had questioned about Kirby and Shelby answered, 'she likes men'. Arthur didn't seem to mind, and would occasionally pet Kirby's belly.

Shelby closed her eyes and rubbed her face. 

How the hell was she going to deal with this?


	2. Cowboy in Public

“Ya got any whiskey?” 

“No, I don't have any whiskey. That shit is gross.” 

Shelby lifted the top cover of the tank and lifted Ghost off from around her neck, putting the ball python back into his tank. The snake yawned, before slithering under his log for the night. She rubbed her eyes, smoothing her hair away from her face before she glanced at the clock. It was only midnight, but she was exhausted. 

“Okay, cowboy, bedtime.” she replied, shutting the television off. “We've got a busy day tomorrow, and I need a good night's sleep.” 

“I get t' sleep in a real bed?” Arthur questioned, surprised. 

“What else are you gonna sleep on? The couch?” Shelby shook her head and motioned for him to follow her down the hallway. She opened the door to the guest bedroom, which she had set up after dinner was over and she took her shower. “This will be your room.” 

“Very nice.” he complimented as he walked inside, sitting down on the edge of the bed. 

“Your clothes are on the dresser. I found a pair of socks from when my brother left them, so they should fit.” Shelby said, leaning down to pick up Kirby, scratching the back of her ears. “If you need anything, you can knock on my door. My bedroom is right next to yours.” 

When no questions were asked, Shelby shut the door behind her and went to her own room, shutting the door after her. She set Kirby down on the bed and crawled underneath the covers, setting an alarm for 9 AM before plugging her phone in to charge. Kirby meowed and made her way towards her owner, circling a few times before kneading the covers with her paws and laying down, curling up into a ball. As soon as Shelby's head hit the pillow, she was out like a light. 

The next morning, Shelby woke up to her alarm and got up, dismissing the alarm. She yawned and stretched her limbs, hearing them pop before she left the bedroom. She fed Kirby and knocked on Arthur's door. “Arthur, you awake?” 

When she didn't hear an answer, she opened the door and peered inside, finding the man sprawled out on the bed, the blanket only covering up to his hips. Shelby felt her cheeks flush, but she couldn't help but to look for a moment. The man was toned, and she could see that he had multiple scars adorning his torso. Despite his age, he seemed to be rather fit and had small, wry hairs covering his torso, though not too much. She shook her head and walked inside, grabbing the other pillow and smashing it onto Arthur's chest. 

Said man let out a yell of surprise, and bolted up on the bed, looking around frantically. He then calmed down once his gaze landed on Shelby, and he rubbed his eyes with a groan. “Did ya really haveta do that, kid?” 

“No, but I had a hunch you wouldn't wake up easily, so it was the best choice.” Shelby replied, tossing the pillow at him. “Once you wake up, get dressed please. I have to measure you.” 

“Measure meh, eh?” 

“Shut the fuck up.” Shelby grumbled, leaving the room. She went to her bedroom and got dressed, dressing in a pair of dark blue jeans that hugged her legs, a black tank top and a black and red plaid shirt. She fixed her hair and put black ankle high socks on, then left her bedroom. Arthur wasn't far after her, walking into the living room after she did. Shelby grabbed the measuring tape from the junk drawer and approached Arthur. “Stand still, and raise your arms, please.” 

He did as requested. She measured the length of his legs, his arms and the wideness of his waist and torso. After writing down the information in her notebook, she slipped that into her bag and shoved her boots on, zipping them up. 

“Alright guys, we'll be back later.” she said to her animals, grabbing her bag and her keys. 

Once Arthur had slid his boots on, she let him walk outside first and she closed the door behind them, locking it. She pulled on the doorknob just to make sure it was locked, and guided Arthur to her vehicle, which was a 2013 black truck. 

“This is.....way different than a wagon.” he commented, hearing a click as the vehicle unlocked and Shelby opened the driver's side door. 

“Yeah,” Shelby agreed. 

Arthur pulled open the passenger's side door, holding his hat onto his head and slipped inside, sitting down. He squirmed a bit, getting use to the feel of the seat on his backside. It was certainly way softer than a hard bench on a wagon. 

“Okay, so when riding in a vehicle like this, you always wear your seat belt. It's to prevent you from getting killed.” Shelby spoke, reaching over him to the seat belt and guiding it over his chest and waist, clicking it into place. 

“And how, per say, does a vehicle get ya killed?” he questioned. 

“When a vehicle crashes into another.” Shelby replied, getting comfortable in her own seat and clicking her seat belt into place. She started up the vehicle, the radio blaring to life, still set on the country station. She had grown up on the outskirts of the town, in the country, so her life was revolved a lot around horses and the country. 

“We'll stop for breakfast, then we'll head up to the mall.” she said, backing out of her parking spot and heading onto the road. 

“What's a mall?” Arthur asked. 

“Just a large space with a variety of stores.” she replied. “I know it's all very confusing, Arthur. Honestly, I still don't know whether to believe you're from the past or not...but....I don't know what else to do, really.” 

“Trust me, kid. I'm confused too.” Arthur sighed quietly. 

“Glad I'm not the only one.” she nodded in agreement. 

About ten minutes went by, and Shelby pulled into the drive-thru of McDonald's. She didn't eat their food very often, but she did like their fish and chicken sandwiches. She grabbed four total of the McChicken sandwiches, two for each of them and a drink for each of them. She ate one of her sandwiches quickly, before they were on the highway, heading towards South Bend. 

“What is 'his?” Arthur questioned in confusion, looking at the sandwich. 

“Just eat it. You might like it.” Shelby said. 

The cowboy took a bite out of the sandwich, and was immediately greeted with the seasons, and taste of well-cooked chicken. Even the lettuce and the white sauce on it made a good taste for it. He decided, hey it's not so bad, and ate the sandwich. 

“Welcome to the 21st century, Arthur, where fast food is dominant in everything.” Shelby joked, turning the radio up slightly and rolling the window down. It was quite nice today, with it being about 70 degrees right now. The radio said it was going to be around 80 today, which wasn't bad at all for June. After about a half hour, she switched hands, using her right hand to drive and leaned her left arm on the windowsill. 

Arthur was mostly quiet, observing the scenery as they drove past it. He enjoyed the open fields, the smell of dirt and grass, the sounds of cattle and horses. It reminded him too much of home....wherever home was right now. It wasn't long before the fields began to disappear and buildings began to take over. 

“Fucking-! Nice turn signal, prick!” 

Arthur glanced over to the young woman, as she grumbled to herself about 'stupid drivers'. She ran a hand through her hair, leaning back. “We're almost there.” 

“Wha' happened?” he asked. 

“Some dumbass cut me off at the last minute.” she shook her head, looking behind her before switching lanes. “If I ever teach you to drive, be patient. I have some road rage.” 

“I'm sure if I can steer a horse, I can steer this thing.” he said. 

“You'd be surprised.” Shelby said, coming up to the stoplight. 

After another fifteen minutes, they pulled into a large parking lot, with several vehicles of all different kinds parked, driving around and people walking down sidewalks to get into the building. Shelby found a decent parking spot, and parked, before turning the car off. “Okay, now, this place is big, so stay close to me, okay?” Shelby said. 

“How big can it be?” Arthur arched an eyebrow. 

“You'll see. Just stay close to my side, and we'll be golden.” She said, grabbing her bag and her keys. Once they were both out, she locked the car and guided him across the road and onto the sidewalk. Small crowds of people walked by them, some of them giving sideway glances to Arthur. 

“Also, don't be surprised if people stare at you.” Shelby said as they walked into the building.

“I'm used t' it.” he drawled. 

A few times he stopped by to glance at the windows of stores, and Shelby had to actually drag him away so they could move on. They went to Men's Warehouse first and Shelby went to a store associate, asking if she could help them with helping Arthur pick out clothes to suit his style. She was ecstatic to help, and with the sizes, she was able to find clothing that would fit Arthur nicely. However, when he had trouble putting on jeans for the first time, Shelby had to help him, telling him that 'this is a one time thing'. Of course, he stuck to the 'no overalls' rule and Shelby waited outside while he dressed. 

“Is he your boyfriend?” the store associate asked. 

“Nah, roommate. He's a little far from home and needed somewhere to go, so I took him in.” Shelby replied. 

“Aw, you're so nice.” the associate smiled. 

The door to the fitting room opened and Arthur came out, wearing a pair of dark blue jeans that showed off his butt nicely, and a button up with the first few buttons undone. 

Shelby felt heat creep onto her face, and the associate whistled. “Very nice.” 

“Fits mighty nicely. Thank ya, ma'am.” Arthur nodded. 

“No problem!” she said. 

After about another half hour of being in the store, the clothes were all dragged to the counter and Shelby sighed, knowing it was going to be utter hell dragging all this shit out to the truck. Good thing she grabbed a cart at the entrance. 

“Ya sure ya can afford all that?” Arthur asked the young woman. 

“I'm a professional author, I can afford pretty much anything.” Shelby replied. 

“Oh? You write?! What's your name?” the same associate asked as she rung up the clothes. 

“Shelby Hartford.” 

Two minutes later, Shelby was getting a picture taken with the associate, who had squealed and said that she loved Shelby's writing. Shelby smiled for the picture, and was appreciative that her writing was well-liked. The associate had given her a hug and told them to have a wonderful day before the two left the store. 

“That was....interestin'.” Arthur commented. 

“Hm.” Shelby said. 

“Oh, what's that place?” 

Shelby looked over to see what he was looking at, and her ears went red. Of course, he was looking at the Victoria's Secret sign. She grabbed the sleeve of his shirt and dragged him away from the store, telling him it was a 'super, secret fancy store for women'. 

It was another three hours before Shelby decided they were done. She had stopped at a few stores for herself, picking up some books and some clothing. They dragged the bags out of the building and shoved them into the back of the truck, which thankfully had a cover on it. Shelby leaned against the side of her vehicle, leaning her head down on her arm. She was exhausted. 

“Where we goin' now?” Arthur's voice met her ears. 

“We'll go for lunch.” she replied, unlocking the vehicle and getting in. “Golden Coral isn't too far from here. You'll like it. They have a large variety of different foods.” 

Lunch was good. They went home afterwards and the two dragged the bags up into the apartment, and into Arthur's bedroom. Shelby had made sure her own bags were separate. They had stopped at Wal-Mart for shampoo and those kinds of things. “Alright....so just...focus on getting your stuff put away while I make a phone call.” 

Shelby went into the living room, sitting down on the couch as she called her mom. It rung two times before it was picked up on the other end. _“Hello?”_

“Hey, mom.” 

_“Hi, baby. How was the interview? You sounded great on TV.”_

“Thanks. It went good, better than expected. I'm tired though.” 

_“I bet. Were you still planning on coming over for dinner this Sunday? Your father's off for the week, vacation.”_

“Yeah, are you guys making beef and noodles?” 

_“When do we not make beef and noodles when you come over?” her mom laughed._

“True, listen mom.....is it okay if I bring my roommate over? He's-” 

_“Your roommate's a guy? Is he hot?”_

“Mom!” 

“ _I'm kidding, I'm kidding. Yes, he can come for dinner as well. Your sister is coming too.”_ The older woman said, and Shelby groaned. _“I know, I know....but, please no fighting, okay?”_

“Alright, though I can't say the same for her, though. You know how she is.” Shelby said. “Alright....I'll see you guys this weekend.” 

Shelby hung up once her mother said goodbye and she tossed her phone onto the other side of the couch, just as Arthur came into sight. “Who was that?” he questioned. 

“You're meeting my parents, and siblings this weekend.” Shelby replied. “We're going to make up a story. We're going to tell them that you're from Texas, and you lost your home and came here hoping for something better. I found you, and am letting you stay here. That's the story. Nothing else.” 

“And they aren't gonna believe ya when ya say I'm from 1899?” 

“No one is gonna believe you're from 1899, besides me.” she retorted. “My sister already thinks I'm a fucking lunatic. I don't need her thinking that about you too.” 

“Jeez, protective ain't ya?” 

“Fuck off.”


	3. Meet the Family

Over the course of the next few days, Arthur Morgan learned about the 21st century and mannerisms, even trending topics and the such. He learned about technology and Shelby explained how technology worked, including a cell phone and a computer. She was patient with him, teaching him about what happened in the 119 years since 1899, and he was quite a fast learner. In addiction, they asked each other questions about their lives and Shelby answered questions that she was comfortable with. 

She was 25-years old, and was a professional author in the horror genre, and a college student, working towards a four year degree in Photography. Despite her attitude towards him, Arthur realized Shelby had multiple mental disorders, including Anxiety, Depression and sometimes, Insomnia. She had also been recently diagnosed with a small form of PTSD, due to an attack when someone tried to mug her while she was in New York a few months ago. Arthur wasn't quite sure how all the disorders worked, and with the facts and stories he had told Shelby, she was certain he had PTSD as well, though they couldn't prove it until he saw a psychologist. 

Shelby had to explain to Arthur that her Anxiety can make her feel so many things at once; worry about so many little things, and even cry over them. Arthur had asked what could be done to help someone through an anxiety or panic attack, and she gave him some tips, in case she were ever to have one while he was around. Her cat was a registered 'Emotional Support' Animal and she was working on getting a Service Dog, whom she would be getting in the next month or so. 

Arthur still had some trouble taking everything in, but Shelby promised him it would all be easier once he had been in the future for much longer. Arthur told her what he was comfortable with, and even showed her his artwork in his journal, which Shelby had commented happily. Shelby, besides being an author and photographer, was an artist and a painter on the side, and said she would take him to a painting class in South Bend sometime. 

Sunday came too fast, too soon and Shelby was dreading going there and having to deal with her sister. She had three siblings, a younger sister and was the middle child in a set of triplets, with Seth being the oldest and Shepherd being the youngest. The three were fraternal twins, to which Shepherd and Seth only had some similar features. 

She had made two dozen of chocolate chip cookies for her family, knowing her sister would just bribe her for cookies and then turn around and treat her like absolute garbage. Arthur didn't have siblings, so he didn't know just how bad their rivalry was. Shelby was a peacekeeper, Mia was a complete trouble maker and tended to get into drugs with her ass-hat of a boyfriend. 

Shelby was completely dreading and more when they pulled into the driveway of their parents' house. Shelby was dressed casually, wearing a pair of black skinny jeans and a black t-shirt with her famous red and black plaid shirt, which Arthur noticed was her favorite shirt. She almost always wore it over something. Arthur was dressed like her, dark blue jeans that showed off his long legs and a blue plaid shirt and his black hat. 

Shelby turned off the vehicle and pulled the keys out, grabbing her shoulder purse and the container of cookies from the back seat. She and Arthur stepped out of the car, just as an older woman came out of the front of the two-story house. 

“Hi, baby!” the woman greeted as she hugged her eldest daughter. 

“Hey mama.” Shelby said with a smile, hugging her mother back. “Mom, this is Arthur Morgan. He's my new roommate.” 

“Pleased to meetcha, ma'am.” Arthur said politely, tipping his hat at her. 

“Oh my, it's a pleasure to meet you as well, Mr. Morgan.” the older woman smiled. “Come inside!” 

The three of them went inside the house, where Shelby took off her boots and set them by the door, Arthur following suit. He took off his hat as well and hung it up by the other hats on the coat rack. Shelby introduced Arthur to her father and brothers, who immediately took an interest in the cowboy. 

“Where are you from, Mr. Morgan?” Allen asked, shaking Arthur's hand. 

“Texas, born and raised.” Arthur replied with a nod, going with the story that he and Shelby agreed on. 

“Texas, huh? I heard it's pretty hot out there.” Allen said. 

“It is, 's that dry heat.” Arthur nodded. 

“So, how did you meet my daughter?” Allen asked, to which Shelby rolled her eyes. 

“Dad, you can ask him more questions later.” Shelby sighed, placing the container of cookies on the breakfast bar. 

“Well, can we offer you anything, Mr. Morgan? Water, soda, a beer perhaps?” 

“A beer would be mighty nice, Mr. Hartford.” Arthur replied. 

“If you get drunk, I'm leaving you in the truck to sleep.” Shelby said, giving a light pat to Arthur's bicep. “Where's Maria?” 

“Outside, playing with Parker. Go see her, sis.” 

Shelby grumbled underneath her breath and told Arthur she'd be back in a few, then opened the sliding glass door that led to a decent sized backyard. Maria, who was two years younger than Shelby, was just walking up the steps with her white Peekinese, Parker. She paused when she saw her older sister. “Hey,” she said. 

“Hey.” Shelby said. 

“So, how are you doing?” Maria asked. 

“I'm okay, getting ready for fall semester.” Shelby replied. “You?” 

“Just working.” Maria replied, and glanced through the glass door, seeing their father speaking to Arthur. “That's your boyfriend, huh?” 

“No, just a friend.” Shelby corrected, shaking her head. 

“You sure? How'd someone so hot get into contact with _you_?” 

Shelby felt her stomach churn. This is the reason she didn't want to deal with her sister 99 percent of the time. She kept a blank expression, taking a deep breath before exhaling. “Friends, nothing more.” she repeated, before walking back inside. She brushed past Arthur, who noticed her hands were trembling slightly. He didn't say anything, and watched as she sat down on the couch, and smiled when a small, white dog jumped onto her lap, licking her face. 

He knew something wasn't right, and he already had a hunch. 

With beef and noodles, there was mashed potatoes, salad and a fruit salad. Desert was Shelby's chocolate chip cookies, and Maria brought a chocolate pie, while Shepherd brought an excellent cake that he made from scratch. He was going to school to be a professional baker and planned on opening his own shop. They sat outside on the large deck, having the umbrella up to block out the sun. Arthur and Shelby sat next to each other on one side, while Shepherd sat on the other side of Arthur and Maria sat on the end next to Shelby, with Seth on the other end and Maria's boyfriend and their parents on the other side. 

Shelby hardly spoke, letting her parents ask Arthur questions. She poked at her food for a few minutes, before she began eating. She began to notice Maria leaning over, her hand disappearing underneath the wooden table and then she felt her began to _pinch_ her, _hard_ , right through her jeans. Shelby jolted from the pinches and moved away from Maria, but the youngest sibling found a way to keep pinching her, whether it was with her toes or fingers. 

Arthur's deep, baritone laugh brought Shelby out of her thoughts and she felt her face flush upon hearing it. She loved the sound of it. 

“Ow! Stop pinching me, Shelby!” 

Shelby jumped in her seat, startled when Maria exclaimed out, holding her thigh in fake pain. “I'm not even near you...” Shelby muttered. 

“Girls, please don't start.” Suzanna, their mother, sighed. 

Shelby went quiet once more, finishing her food faster than everyone else. She informed that she was going to put her plate up, then go to the bathroom. She did just that and did her business in the bathroom, washing her hands afterwards. She had examined her thigh, seeing the already forming bruises on her pale skin. She only shook her head and started to open the door, when it swung in forcefully and hit her right in the nose. She staggered backwards, holding her nose and winced when fingers dug into her short locks painfully, tugging. 

“Seriously, what does Arthur see in you?” Maria sneered, digging the nails of her other hand into Shelby's shoulder painfully. “You're nothing but a lowlife, scum of the earth. Mom said that you nearly died during birth. You _should've_.” 

Shelby opened her mouth to speak, to defend herself, but Maria's fist came barreling towards her, hitting her right in the face. It happened quite a few times, and once she was satisfied, Maria tossed Shelby onto the floor, letting her suffer from a bleeding nose. 

“I'll always been the favorite. You know that, so quit trying to make everyone else look bad.” she scoffed, before leaving the bathroom. 

It took Shelby a few minutes before she got up, beginning to clean up the mess. Some blood dripped onto her black shirt, but it was easy to hide, so she wiped it up as best as possible. After a couple more minutes, she heard a knock on the door, and Arthur's voice. 

“Ya 'right in there, Shelby? Yer sister said somethin' about a bloody nose.” 

“I'm fine.” she replied, spitting out blood into the sink. 

“Ya don' sound fine.” the man said and opened the door, startled when he saw the lower half of her face covered in streaks of blood. “Jesus, wha' the hell happened?” 

“Maria happened, Arthur.” Shelby sighed, muffled by the tissue. 

“C'mere. Lemme see that nose....” he said, pulling the tissue away from her nose. He could see light bruising beginning to form around her nose, and even around her left eye. “She hit ya? Over what?” he asked, grabbing a fresh tissue and holding it to her nose. 

“It's always been like this.” Shelby muttered, looking down at the floor as Arthur held a hand on her shoulder, keeping her still. “She's always wanted the attention. She's jealous of my success, and miserable that she's stuck with a dead-end job because she's lazy and got kicked out of school because of her grades.” 

“And she abuses ya because of _that_? I reckon that's jus' stupidity.” Arthur shook his head. 

Shelby shrugged, and Arthur found himself _hating_ the way she just dismissed it. No sibling should abuse the other just because of the other's success. It was wrong. It was _vile_. Shelby had been patient with him, though she did get annoyed at times, but she never once got snappy with him, or tried to insult him or hit him. He hadn't been here a week yet, and he found himself wanting to protect the young woman who took his life in her hands, teaching him about the ways of the 21st century and helping him through it, instead of letting him rot. 

Shelby sniffled, bringing the older man out of his thoughts. He pulled the tissue away from her nose, examining it. “Looks like the blood stopped.” he said, tossing the tissue in the trash. He grabbed another one and got it wet, before he gently wiped the blood away from her face. 

“I'm fine, Arthur.” she said quietly. 

“Don' give me that.” Arthur scoffed. “Ya want me t' say somethin'?” 

“No, just....leave it be for now.” Shelby sighed, sniffling again. 

After a moment, he agreed and got her cleaned up, then they both left the bathroom and headed downstairs. Shepherd and Seth had begun cleaning up dinner, talking among themselves. 

“You okay, honey?” Suzanna asked. 

“I'm fine, mom.” Shelby nodded, going to sit on the couch. The smaller dog, a chihuahua, jumped onto her lap and immediately rolled over for belly rubs. 

Arthur walked over to the coat rack and grabbed his hat off of it, before walking over to Shelby. “Here.” he said, plopping the hat onto her head gently. “Hold that fer me.” 

Shelby was startled when Arthur plopped the hat onto her head and she looked up at him from under the hat, before she flushed and looked down quickly, hiding underneath the hat. 

Suzanna laughed. “It looks good on you, sis!” 

“Shut up.” Shelby mumbled, embarrassed. 

After the dishes were done and everything was cleaned up, it was time for desert. Nearly everyone took a cookie, except for Maria, who claimed her cookies were better and also insulted Shepherd's cake, which made him glare at her. 

“Maria, please....” Shelby said quietly. 

“Please, _what_?” Maria snapped. “And take that hat off, you look dumb as fuck with it on.” 

Shelby's hands shook and her face flushed as tears formed in her eyes. She hid her face underneath the black hat, clutching it as her shoulders trembled. Arthur could see tears sliding down her cheeks and his heart ached for the sweet, young woman. His eyebrows scrunched, and his blue eyes narrowed. He wasn't holding back anymore. 

“I think ya outta leave, miss.” Arthur spoke, directing his suggestion to Maria. 

“Excuse me?” Maria blinked. 

Arthur's broad arm went around Shelby's trembling shoulders, bringing her against his side, as if to protect her from the world around them. Shelby was surprised, and glanced up at the older man from under the hat. 

“Ya heard me.” Arthur said. “Why ya gotta abuse yer sister? Huh? She's done nothin' wrong to ya, except maybe a few names here and there. She's a sweet girl, unlike yourself.” 

“Excuse me?!” Maria exclaimed. 

“I haven't known Shelby for that long, but she's a brilliant young woman.” Arthur said, his grip tightening on her shoulder slightly, though not painful in any way. “And if yer jealous of her success, then why don' ya just make yer own success, instead of abusing yer sister for hers. I can't stand siblings who abuse each other for stupid reasons, and ya, miss, are one of those siblings.” 

“H-how dare you-?!” 

“Maria, just leave.” Suzanna said, angry. “You've done enough. Also, get rid of that shitty boyfriend you have. He's just dragging you under.” 

Maria stared at everyone for a long moment before she burst into loud crying and left the house, her boyfriend tailing after her. Arthur sighed, looking down at Shelby who was staring at him in awe. “Aw, don' look at me like that, Shelby. Friends gotta stick up fer each other.” he said, reaching up to wipe her tears away with his thumb. 

The rest of the night went by smoothly and around 10 PM, Shelby decided it was time to leave and gave her family hugs, before she and Arthur went back to the apartment. Arthur hadn't asked for his hat back, letting her wear it. Once they were in the apartment, Shelby took her shoes off, hanging her purse and keys up by the door. 

“Look, I'm sorry fer embarrassin'-” Arthur began. 

He was interrupted when the young woman turned towards him and her arms were going around his middle, pressing against his chest in a gentle, but firm hug. Arthur was startled for a moment, before he relaxed and placed an arm around her shoulders and the other around her head, rubbing the back of her head almost affectionately. 

“Thank you, Arthur.” Shelby said softly, pressing her face into his shirt. 

“Don' mention it, kid.” he said, rubbing the back of her head.


	4. A Night Out

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mention of past self-harm, canon character death (dream sequence), nonconsensual drug use and ill intentions.

June and July went by rather quickly, and August was soon upon them, causing Shelby to get ready for her sophomore year of college. She explained to Arthur that she would be gone from 9 AM to 4 PM, Monday through Wednesday and was going to school an hour away, so she would be leaving around 7:30 in the morning for school. And when she had homework, she would be sitting at her desk in the living room and would more than likely have headphones in, listening to music or watching videos for her classes. 

Arthur understood, though he was still confused about the whole 'college' thing. 

During the two months, Shelby was able to fake an ID and documents for Arthur, through a friend of hers who was an expert at hacking computers, that way he would be able to actually live in the 21st century comfortably. Hell, Shelby even taught him how to drive, as he said “jus' like ridin' a horse”. 

Shelby was comfortable enough to leave Arthur at home by himself. On a Friday night, Shelby mentioned to Arthur if he wanted to go to South Bend with her, to have dinner and go out to a bar with some of her friends. He gladly agreed, having been coped up in the apartment for a while now. They rode up to South Bend, stopping at the mall quick so Shelby could pick up some more books to read. She often read at night after finishing a chapter or two, mostly when they were sitting on the couch, watching television. Shelby introduced Arthur to Netflix and Hulu, letting him watch the many shows she had on her playlist. A few times she had fallen asleep on the couch while reading, and Arthur had to carry her to her bed, noting that she was light. 

After dinner, they had decided to head over to the bar, as it turned over to be 9 PM. Arthur glanced around at the neon lights, the crowd dancing and shouting. Some people were even sitting in chairs, kissing or grinding against each other, but Shelby paid them no mind. She guided Arthur to the bar, where two men were sitting, both of them sipping out of their own straw from the same drink. 

Both men looked to be in their early 30's, and both had colored hair and wore outfits similar to the attire that Shelby wore. 

“Hey guys.” she called over, and both men looked over at her. 

“Shelby! My sweet darling!” the taller of the two exclaimed and immediately pulled the young woman into a hug, squeezing her tight. “Oh my god, girl, you're so skinny.” he said, releasing her after a few moments. 

“I've been pretty busy lately. I start school up in a couple weeks.” Shelby replied. “Guys, this is my friend and roommate, Arthur.” 

Arthur shook hands with both men and they began talking as Arthur ordered a beer. He found out that the men, Tripp and Dennis, were both gay and in a married relationship, having been married for two years now. Dennis, the shorter man, briefly asked Arthur a question about Shelby and it made Arthur a little unnerved. 

“Has Shelby ever told you about the marks on her wrists?” Dennis asked. 

_Marks?_ Arthur furrowed his eyebrows, remembering the last time he had asked Shelby about the silvery marks on her wrists. She had told him that she was born with the marks, and that they were nothing and they didn't hurt. 

“She said she was born with them.” the older man replied. 

Dennis sighed quietly and shook his head. “That is a total fuckin' lie.” 

“Dennis!” Tripp scolded, swatting his husband's arm. “That's not polite! Don't you dare talk about Shelby that way!” 

“Arthur deserves to know the truth, babe.” 

“And she'll tell him when she's ready. It took her three years for her to tell us the truth.” 

Dennis sighed. “Alright, fine. I'm sorry....just...don't say anything to her, Arthur. She'll just avoid the subject entirely.” 

Arthur gave a nod, and he glanced over to Shelby, who was dancing with a tall girl in black heels and a leather skirt. She wasn't really smiling, but she looked nervous, to which the girl said something to her, taking her hands in her own and smiling at her. Shelby only seemed to nod, but she still didn't smile. Maybe she wasn't enjoying herself? 

When his thoughts cleared, Dennis and Tripp had vanished, leaving Arthur by himself at the bar. He looked around, and found himself in the presence of an absolutely beautiful woman, with long, blonde hair that was curled and deep sea green eyes. She was wearing a slim fitting dress that showed off her curves quite nicely and she had a twinkle in her eye that Arthur couldn't quite place. But he figured, he came here to have fun, might as well talk to some new people. 

After about an hour of talking with the woman, and about four beers later, Arthur began to notice that he was warm, very warm, burning up actually. His head felt foggy, blurry and his thoughts were all over the place. He glanced around with groggy eyes, his vision blurring. He felt....confused, and odd. He felt tired. His entire body ached. 

What was wrong with him? Had he drank too much? No, he wasn't drunk.....he never felt this way while drunk before. Something was very wrong. 

“I gotta.....gotta go find my friend....” he slurred, getting up and immediately swaying a bit, hanging onto the bar. 

“Aw, are you not having fun anymore?” the woman's voice echoed, and Arthur felt her manicured hand on his forearm. “I know a place where you can go rest.” 

“Get....get off me, woman!” he shouted, or at least tried to, and yanked his arm away from her. 

Arthur made his way through the shouting crowd, calling out for Shelby. He called as loud as he could, and within moments, he found himself sitting in a plush chair, his head leaned back against the back of it. He felt so tired...

“...thur?! Arthur?!” 

Small hands were on his shoulders, shaking him. He opened his eyes, focusing his vision on the young woman in front of him. There was a worried expression on her beautiful face and he instantly recognized her. 

“There ya are....been lookin' all over for ya...” Arthur slurred, trying to sit up, but only groaned and fell back again. 

“Arthur, what happened?” Shelby asked, her fingers briefly touching his bearded jaw. “Jesus Christ, you're burning up....” 

“I think I drank too much....” he mumbled, closing his eyes for a brief moment before opening them again. 

“Maybe, maybe not. We're going home, Arthur. You're gonna have to help me here, I can't carry you to the car.” Shelby said, moving to his side and slinging his arm over her shoulder. 

It took a moment for Arthur to move, as it was hard to breathe for him. He coughed harshly, using the arm of the chair to push himself up. Shelby wrapped her other arm around his lower back and guided him out the door, where he had to stop to cough, hacking up whatever had been put into his system. He only felt this terrible when he was starting to suffer from Tuberculosis, except there was a lot more blood and a lot more coughing. Shelby spoke soothing words to him, telling him they were almost to the car and they would be home soon. 

“Okay, okay, we're here.” Shelby said, opening the passenger side door and carefully helping him sit in the passenger side. He coughed, thankfully in the other direction and breathed hard, leaning back as Shelby moved the seat belt over him and clicked it into place. 

“Hey!” 

Shelby glanced over from the top of the door to see a blonde woman wearing a black dress come towards her, looking like someone had taken her cell phone. “Can I help you, miss? I have to get my friend home.” 

“ _You're his friend?_ Oh....my...god!” the woman shrilled, surprising Shelby. “Look at you! You're an ugly little thing....how'd he get to be friends with such a little bitch like you?” 

“You did something to him, didn't you?” Shelby asked. 

“I didn't do-” 

“You fucking _ROOFIED_ him?!” 

When Shelby shouted, people outside went silent and gazed in the direction of the two women, one of them practically shaking with anger. 

“So what?” the woman scoffed. “He would've had a fun time with me. He needs a grown woman, not a little girl like you.” 

Shelby crossed the distance before the woman even realized, and the woman was knocked backwards when Shelby's curled hand came barreling across her cheek. The woman blinked away the black spots in her vision, before lunging at the younger woman, knocking her to the ground. The blonde clawed at her face and neck, digging her sharp nails into Shelby's exposed skin. Shelby fought back, effectively punching the woman in the nose and feeling the bone crack underneath her knuckles. The woman screamed out in agony and fell backwards, holding her nose as blood gushed from it. 

“Serves you right!” a man shouted at the sobbing woman. 

Another patron was coming out to help Shelby, but she refused help, and said she needed to get Arthur home. She glared at Dennis and Tripp, both of them who stood on the sidelines, watching the event. She flipped them off, and got in her truck, driving off as fast as she could, while still following the road laws. She trembled the entire drive, knuckles and face bloody, most of it was the other woman's blood. She wiped blood away from her cheek, checking up on Arthur every minute. He was still awake, though not very coherent. 

By the time they got home, it was nearing midnight. Shelby used whatever strength she had left to carry Arthur to his bedroom, and set him on his bed, before she went to go wash her hands. Blood ran down the drain and she looked at herself in the mirror, seeing the scratches and cuts on her face and neck, the blood that came from her split lip. She quickly cleaned up and dressed in comfortable pajamas, then went back to Arthur's room. She took his boots off, hearing him mumble every now and then. 

After Shelby got him comfortable enough, Arthur reached out for her, his eyes barely open. “Come....come up here....” 

“Arthur, I don't-” she began. 

“Please....” 

Shelby went quiet at his plea, before she gave a slight nod and climbed into the bed. She scooted closer to Arthur, who groaned softly and laid his arm over her. He mumbled something underneath his breath, something that Shelby couldn't make out before he finally went unconscious, his breathing slightly wheezy. She quietly moved under the covers, staying a good comfortable distance from him. She knew he wouldn't remember anything once he woke up, as the drug caused amnesia. Her face stung, her eyes stung with tears, but she couldn't bring herself to shed them. The past two months had allowed them to get closer to each other, becoming more than just....friends. But Arthur was still new, and there were still so many things he needed to learn about this future. 

Shelby sighed quietly and settled in next to the older man, her hands curled up near her chest. Her eyes closed and it wasn't long before she dozed off, comforted by soft breathing. 

~

“He's....he's a rat, Dutch.” 

Shelby's eyes snapped open and she glanced up, startled when she heard Arthur's voice, though much weaker and his breathing was wheezy. It was dark out, and rain was coming down from the sky. She glanced over as male voices spoke to one another, and she covered her mouth in shock as she saw two men standing, and another lying on the ground, clearly weak and in severe pain. 

Arthur. 

Eventually, both of the men standing left, walking away as if nothing had happened, leaving Arthur on the cold, wet ground. Tears stung her eyes as she watched in mortification as the man rolled himself onto his stomach, crawling towards what looked like a cliff. She could see the colors of the sunrise, beginning to come over the horizon. 

_Why....?_

Shelby rushed forward and knelt down towards Arthur, a hand moving down to touch his shoulder. The man was startled and he coughed as he looked up and over his shoulder, looking up at the young woman before him. 

“Let me help you, please...” she whispered. 

He only gave her a single nod and Shelby helped him to the edge of the cliff. She sat down with her legs crossed, allowing Arthur to rest his head in her lap. He wheezed and coughed, his breathing becoming more shallow. His blue eyes looked up to her, as a tear rolled down the side of his face. “A...are you....an...an angel?” he whispered. 

Tears formed in her eyes and she couldn't help but let them flow freely, her thumb brushing away Arthur's tear. “I...I am. It's okay, Arthur. I know it hurts, just rest....you've fought so hard.....now it's time to rest.” 

Shelby watched as the older man blinked slowly and he turned his head towards the sunrise, letting out a deep breath, before he exhaled....

And no more. 

His eyes slowly closed, and he relaxed, going limp in her hold. Hot tears streamed down her cheeks, and she leaned down, pressing her forehead to his, trembling. 

“I'm so sorry this happened to you, Arthur....you deserved better.” she whispered, closing her eyes. 

The next time she opened them, she was staring at Arthur's sleeping form, as he had rolled onto his back sometime during the night. It was still dark out, which meant the sun hadn't started to come up yet. She sniffled and sat up, glancing over at Arthur's relaxed expression. She scooted closer, reaching up with a trembling hand, gently placing the hand over his heart, feeling it beat strongly underneath her palm. 

He was so real, and yet....

He had died, right there. 

She placed her free hand over her mouth, muffling her sobs as she used the other hand to clutch onto his shirt slightly. 

_I'm so sorry, Arthur. But please..._

_Don't leave me._


	5. Discussion

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Warnings: Mentions of past self-harm.

Shelby was up early, unable to sleep any longer. She fed Kirby and Ghost, afterwards allowing Ghost to rest around her shoulders, occasionally flicking his tongue out near her cheek. It was his version of a kiss. He knew she was upset. She stroked the top of his head gently, before she went into the kitchen to make something for breakfast. She had a movie going on her laptop, something about some guy going to his old home to find out how some woman killed his wife. As she stirred eggs in a bowl, there was a knock on her door and she answered it, seeing Tripp and Dennis standing there. 

“Hey,” Tripp said softly. “Can we come in?” 

Shelby nodded and allowed the two inside her apartment, shutting the door behind them. She went back into the kitchen to start making French toast. 

“Where's Arthur?” Dennis asked. 

“Asleep.” Shelby replied, coating a piece of bread in egg and setting it on the skillet. “The drinking and the roofie knocked him out. He won't remember much when he wakes up.” 

“That woman who drugged him....she admitted to it after five witnesses saw her slip the pill into his beer.” Tripp said. 

“Then why didn't anyone come forward and tell someone _before_ everything went to shit?” Shelby asked, irritation in her voice. 

“Ah, well, two of them thought it was just their imagination and the other three said Arthur would be fine.” Dennis replied. “Obviously, they were wrong.” 

Shelby shook slightly, keeping control of her anger. That was how people got hurt. Arthur could've gotten hurt, assaulted, or worse. And all because nobody wanted to come forward to help him. Figures. Humans were selfish creatures and didn't care about anyone else as long as it didn't affect them. She took a deep breath and put more egg-soaked bread on the pan until it was full. 

“Go fucking figure.” she spat. 

Tripp came forward, gently touching her cheek. “How's that face?” 

“I'm fine. Sore, but I'm fine.” Shelby said, flipping a piece of French toast. While the others were cooking, she began cutting up some fruit for a fruit salad. The next half hour was mostly silent, as they ate and shared a few thoughts among each other. 

“I'm sorry, Shelby.” Dennis apologized. 

“What for?” she asked, getting up to put the cutting board and the knife in the sink. 

“I....might've told Arthur about your wrists.” 

Shelby paused, holding the handle of the knife in her hand. She was quiet, before she slowly turned to Dennis, rage in her eyes. “You told him _what_?” 

“I....I told him about your wrists. I didn't know if you had told him yet, or-” 

“My wrists are none of your fucking business, Dennis!” 

Dennis flinched as the young woman shouted at him, obviously quite angry with him. Shelby gritted her teeth, tightening her grip on the large handle of the knife. “It took me three years, _three_ fucking years to even let you guys in to tell you what hell I went through! And you know what? It's not getting any fucking better! My sister constantly abuses me, and harasses me on every social media we share. I had to fucking delete AND block her because my anxiety was so bad. I'm not _ready_ to tell Arthur about my 'so called past'. I was abused. Big fucking deal. It happens to most people, and my abuse isn't valid. So, the next time you think about telling someone about a personal matter I have, fucking _think it through_!” 

Shelby turned back to the sink, her shoulders trembling. 

“Shelby-” 

“ _Shut up_! Just fucking shut up, Dennis! I'm sick and tired of your whining and your bickering about shit that I do, and you getting into my personal business!” she shouted again, raising the knife in her hand. “Fucking leave it _alone_!” 

She brought the knife down on the counter, blade down first and suddenly screamed. 

The knife clattered to the tile floor, blood splattering across it. Shelby had put the knife down so hard, her hand slipped and ran down the blade of the knife, cutting her left hand open, quite deeply. Tripp quickly grabbed a towel and wrapped it around her hand, as blood gushed from the wound and tears streamed down her cheeks. 

“Dennis, stay here! I'm taking her to the hospital!” Tripp said to his husband, grabbing Shelby's purse and helping her put her shoes on before he quickly guided her down to his car. 

Once they got to the hospital, Shelby was a bit light-headed from blood loss and pain. She was quickly taken to the back and set on a bed, where a couple of nurses and a doctor came in to inspect her hand. It had sliced through deeply, even all the way beside her thumb. The wound was cleaned and stitched up, as well as wrapped up. The doctor wrote her a prescription for pain medication and had her stay just so she could blood back in her body. Once she was released, Tripp drove her home and helped her inside. 

“Jesus.....how many stitches?” Dennis asked. 

“About ten.” Tripp replied, setting her down at the kitchen table. It wasn't even fucking noon yet. “I'm gonna go grab your medicine, be back soon.” he said, heading out again to get her medicine. 

Shelby sat silently for a long moment, before she sniffled and got up, walking down the hallway to Arthur's room. The door was open, but the bathroom light was on and she heard retching noises. She knocked on the door, alerting him of her presence and walked inside, seeing the older man hunched over the toilet, vomiting anything and everything he had in his system. 

Shelby grabbed a clean washcloth, and got it wet, making sure it was cold. Ignoring the pain in her hand, she knelt down beside him and placed the wet cloth across the back of his neck. Arthur jumped and shivered visibly, groaning softly. 

“C-cold...” he groaned. 

“I know. But it helps.” Shelby sighed softly, rubbing his back with her other hand. 

After Arthur had finished throwing up, Shelby got him a cold glass of water and a couple of aspirin to help with his hangover. He swallowed the pills down with water and stood up, wiping his mouth with the back of his hand. He glanced down at the young woman, and noticed the bandages around her hand and wrists. “What happened t' yer hand?” he asked. 

“I'll tell you later. C'mon, there's food left.” she said, leaving the bathroom. 

Arthur followed her out into the kitchen, where she gestured to the food on the counter. He made his way over to the counter and grabbed up a plate, watching as she walked over to the two men he had met last night. 

“I think we're gonna go ahead and leave....we've got some stuff to do today.” Tripp spoke. 

“Okay.” Shelby nodded. 

The two exchanged hugs, but she didn't hug Dennis. She only gave a nod to him, and turned back to the kitchen once the men were gone. “We're going to get my service dog today. They finally was able to get him through approval.” 

“Finally?” he asked. 

“Yeah.” she replied. 

“What happened t' yer hand, darlin'?” Arthur questioned, his eyebrows scrunching in worry. 

“Had a little accident with a knife a few hours ago, some stitches, but I'm fine.” she replied, sitting down at the table and sipping down the rest of her soda. “Arthur....do you remember anything from last night?” 

Arthur swallowed the fruit in his mouth, thinking deeply to what happened. The last thing he remembered was....ah, yeah. He remembered talking to Shelby that morning, about going up to South Bend for the day and going out for a drink afterwards. But after that, he didn't remember anything. It was just....nothing. 

“I 'member when we talked about going up to South Bend....but after that, I don' remember.” he replied, shaking his head. 

“I figured as much....” Shelby sighed heavily, running her good hand through her hair. “You were drugged, Arthur. Roofied, by a woman.” 

“Drugged?” he questioned, shock evident in his voice. “By a....wha'?” 

“Roofied, or Rohypnol. It's a drug that's used in other countries to treat sleeping, but here, in the US, it's a date-rape drug. It causes a person to seem like they're drunk, dizziness, loss of motor skills and muscles, and even unconsciousness. It's a widely used drug that people use to rob or sexually assault their victims, most times to sexually assault and the victim, 99 percent of the time, doesn't remember what happened.” Shelby explained, her fingers curling into fists. “The woman who drugged you admitted to it, but not before her and I got into a fight.” 

“Jesus.....I can't believe this.....” Arthur shook his head, rubbing his temples. His headache was still there, but it was going away, slowly but surely. He was tired and a bit sluggish, but he felt fine otherwise. 

“I'm sorry I couldn't stop it from happening, but you weren't hurt or assaulted, so....” Shelby's voice trailed off, and she looked away, a bit uncomfortable. 

“Have ya ever....?” he began, but didn't want to get into her personal business. 

“No, never. I don't go out to bars very often, so I've kept myself from getting drugged.” she replied. “Well....are you done eating?” 

Arthur gave a nod and went to his room to get dressed. He was....concerned. Shelby was acting a bit odd, much more than usual. The way she explained how her hand got wounded, just didn't seem right. He wanted to know what really happened, but there was no way she would tell him without some convincing. He was worried, but he would not force her to tell him anything until she was ready. 

He met her in the living room, where she had all of her paperwork in a filing folder and looked absolutely ready to go. She would have gotten her service dog a month ago, but there was a higher up within the company that was giving Shelby more trouble than she needed, until the higher up's boss forced them to get the application through, since it was a necessary for Shelby's PTSD. They locked up the apartment and headed off to South Bend. 

When they got there, they informed the receptionist that they were there and the receptionist happily put them through, congratulating Shelby on her approval. The two adults waited in the waiting room, Shelby bouncing her leg nervously. Soon enough, around 1:30, a young woman, a bit older than Shelby, came out with a clipboard. 

“Shelby?” she called. 

Shelby and Arthur got up and headed into the room, introducing themselves. The woman was extremely happy to be the one to help them, as the last person who was helping them was the one who denied the application. 

“Why was the application denied?” Shelby asked, arching an eyebrow. 

“Morgan, I believe her name was....said that 'I know that girl. Even now, she's such a piece of shit and deserves to suffer'.” the young woman replied. 

“Morgan....oh, oh....” Shelby frowned. 

“What is it?” Arthur asked. 

“I went to school with a girl named Morgan. She severely bullied me into believing I was nothing.” Shelby replied, and shook her head. “How did she manage to get into a job like this?” 

“Well, she lied on her resume and said she enjoyed working with animals, especially service dogs. But what we didn't know is that her father had a service dog because of the war and she frequently abused the dog, to where it attacked her brutally and the dog had to be put down. Her father eventually committed suicide because of violent nightmares and Morgan blamed the dog ever since. Said she wanted to 'cleanse the world' of violent animals....especially Pit Bulls.” the young woman replied with a sigh. “Morgan has since been institutionalized.” 

“Holy shit.” Arthur blurted. 

“My thoughts exactly.” the young woman nodded. “Are you ready to meet him?” 

Shelby nodded and the woman left the room, soon coming back with a beautiful white German Shepherd, about three years old. His eyes were a beautiful chocolate brown and his bushy tail was wagging in excitement. The young woman let the shepherd walk over to Shelby, sniffing her knee, and then her hand. 

“Hi, boy.” Shelby said softly, smiling gently. 

The big animal gently placed his large paws on Shelby's lap, leaning up to lick at her cheek. Shelby's eyes watered and she stifled a sob, reaching up to scratch behind the dog's ears. The dog whined softly and licked at her cheek again, as tears rolled down her cheeks. 

“H-he's perfect.” Shelby whispered. 

The other woman smiled and nodded. Within a half-hour, the paperwork was sighed and put on record and Shelby named her service dog Panzer, after her mom's old dog who passed away from old age. Panzer was smart, friendly and didn't allow anyone to pet him unless Shelby said it was alright. As soon as they got home, Shelby made sure Panzer went to the bathroom and cleaned up the mess he made, before she and Arthur headed up to the apartment. 

Panzer and Kirby sniffed each other, before she rubbed herself against his front legs and Panzer gently nudged her. Shelby smiled softly and kicked off her boots near the door, before hanging up her shoulder purse. 

“Shelby?” 

The young woman glanced over at Arthur, arching a brow. “Yeah?” 

“Wha' really happened t' yer hand?” he asked. 

Shelby paused for a moment, before she let out a barely audible sigh. “I got mad at Dennis and I slammed the knife down, enough for my hand to slip. Ten stitches, and this all happened before noon.” 

“Jesus Christ.” he said softly. 

“Yeah, well.....my emotions get the better of me sometimes.” she shrugged, and once more, Arthur found himself _hating_ the way she just dismissed the situation. “I'm gonna email my professors about what happened, and to let them know you might have to come with me to school for a couple weeks. I can't really lift anything too heavy with my hand, as the stitches could open if I put too much pressure on them.” 

The older man closed the distance between them, his hands coming up to her. Shelby was startled as his large hands enveloped her wrists, brushing over the faint but still visible silvery scars there. Her skin was too pale compared to his, but he could see the scars all too well. Shelby glanced down for a moment, looking uncomfortable. 

“Ya know you can talk t' me, right?” He said, thumbs stroking the inside of her wrists lightly. “I'm not pushing ya, darlin'. But I am worried 'bout ya.” 

“You shouldn't be....I'm okay.” Shelby said quietly. 

Arthur gave her a look that clearly said 'Really'. Shelby looked away once more, letting out a quiet sigh. She couldn't keep it hidden forever, and Arthur was bound to find out sooner or later. 

“I....I used to self-harm.” she replied after a few moments of silence. “From the bullying in school, to my sister tormenting me....it just became too much. When mom and dad found out, I was in a really bad place...they helped me get the courage to go get some help, and....I'm doing better. The urge still comes sometimes, especially under moments of intense stress, but I haven't self-harmed since I was 23.” 

Arthur glanced down to her wrists again, running his thumbs over the silvery scars gently. He knew she was ashamed of the scars, but everyone went through a bad time. She seemed a bit relieved, like a great weight had been lifted from her shoulders. He slowly brought up a wrist to his lips and placed a gentle, whisper of a kiss on the skin there. Shelby's cheeks burned a soft shade of red. 

“Yer a strong woman, Shelby. Don' forget that.” 

Shelby couldn't help but relax at his words.


End file.
